Guardian Angels
by Trinkket
Summary: Her name was Sakura Haruno. She thought she was just another ordinary girl - until those two came along and turned her entire world upside down. Naruto and Sasuke. Her friends, her allies - her guardians. Alternate Universe.
1. Chapter One: Guardian Naruto

Hey there. So this is my first attempt at fanfiction in a very long time. I've had this idea bumbling around in my head for ages now, and I'm not sure whether its been explored or even if it will appeal to anyone out there, but I figured I may as well put it out there and see what you lovely people think. Any feedback you have to offer would be very much appreciated.

Before we get right into it I should mention that this story takes place in an alternate universe and while I will be keeping certain things the same, there will be other things that are very different. If you don't appreciate that or it just doesn't suit your tastes, you should leave immediately. Thank you.

* * *

**Chapter One: Guardian Naruto**

"_Sakura, please come in and have a seat."_

_"Good afternoon, Mr. Kakashi."_

"_How did your day go?"_

_"It went well, thank you."_

_"That's good to hear. You seem to be in high spirits."_

_"Oh – really? Well, I suppose I am."  
_

"_Did something good happen?"_

_"I… I guess you could say that. I mean, I don't know. It's not something that happens to me very ordinarily."  
_

"_Hmm. Why do you say that?"_

"_Well. Um. I don't know how to describe it. It was very strange."_

_"Strange? How so?"_

"_I met someone today. While I was on my way to school."_

"_Oh, I see."_

_"He was – he was a very unusual person. He approached me, but he wasn't frightening at all. He seemed very young. He told me… that he wanted to protect me."_

"_Protect you?"_

_"Yes."_

"_Did you understand what he meant by that?"_

_"Not at all. I can't imagine what he was talking about, I thought I may have known him before, from a long time ago, but there are no memories I can come up with that might explain that."  
_

"_What happened afterwards?"_

"_He… went on to say, that he had been with me my entire life. Looking out for me. Again, I didn't understand what he was telling me, but it felt very personal, like he knew things about me that I didn't know. I wasn't scared of him, even though his words were unsettling – I didn't feel like I was in any kind of danger; that he would keep to his word and try to protect me if my life was ever in jeopardy."_

"_And then what happened? Did he say anything else to you?"  
_

"_No. I lost sight of him somehow. I turned away for just a second, and he was gone."_

"_So you haven't seen him since this morning."_

"_That's right. I know it sounds crazy, and completely abnormal when I put it into words, but I don't believe this person was any sort of threat. I think he has good intentions."_

"_Sakura, I understand that you felt unthreatened by this person. But you can't deny that the reality of the situation appears a lot less simplistic than you make it out to be. I'm glad you are able to trust me and share this experience, and because I know quite a lot about your mental history I can help you decipher this event and the feelings which accompanied it. That said, I don't think now is the best time to be discussing this, or similar events, with people who are more likely to take it the wrong way. Do you understand what I mean?"_

"…_I do, Mr. Kakashi."_

_"That's great. I think we should talk more on this subject during our next session, if that will be all right with you."_

"_Yes, that would be fine."_

"_Good. Now, go enjoy the rest of the afternoon."_

"_I will - thank you very much."_

"_Of course."_

- - - -

Sakura had always been a smart kid. She knew it, and so did many of her teachers who prided themselves in boasting about her excellent work to her mother and father on days when the parent-teacher conference was being held. She would silently engulf those praises, smiling shyly by her parent's side. She never got tired of being in the spotlight – despite the obvious resentment it drew in from her fellow classmates. It earned her familiar titles such as "Teacher's Pet" and the occasional bullying incident, which had later resulted in the more favored nickname of "Cry Baby."

It wasn't until Ino came along that Sakura began to gain true confidence. They were inseparable through those remaining grade-school years, and still remained tightly bonded as freshmen in high school. Sakura would often wonder who she would have turned out to be had Ino not come up to her smiling on that sunny afternoon in the playground. The blonde haired beauty had immediately grown on her, appealing to the small insecure girl underneath those shaggy pink bangs. Ino always seemed to know when Sakura was feeling uncertain or was attempting to hide something – despite her better judgment she always knew she would cave in under that all-knowing gaze her friend would cast across to her.

And this was the exact position she found herself in as the two of them walked home from school across a bustling city sidewalk, the blaring traffic of the rush hour sifting through the warm humid air. Sakura was puffing out her red cheeks at the interrogation she was being forced to commit to, wishing the sun wasn't so hot on her head and that there was a healthy supply of popsicles in the refrigerator at home.

"I'm _telling _you, it will be a lot easier if you just come right out and say it while you still have the chance." Ino was saying, a very convincing tone evident in her voice that made Sakura wonder just how much she was enjoying her friend's discomfort.

The pink haired girl huffed indignantly. "Like I said, it's got nothing to do with whatever you're imagining. Besides, I doubt I should have even told Kakashi at this point – I know he's going to ask me about it again at my next session."

"Exactly." Ino grinned reassuringly. "Because he's just as interested as I am. I bet it could mean a major breakthrough in your entire healing process!"

Sakura eyed the girl next to her and shook her head in mild exasperation. The two came to a cross walk and stopped with a small group of businessmen while they waited for the traffic light to change.

"Look, it's not even a big deal," She sighed. "I bumped into some guy on the street this morning, and he basically told me he was my savior from another dimension, and that he has been following me around my entire life as a guardian angel or something. If anything, that sounds like I deserve to be in the loony bin more than all the other mental problems I have combined."

Ino looked at her with contemplative eyes. Her smile was gone as she spoke. "Maybe you're looking at this the wrong way. This obviously has some sort of hidden meaning to you – whether it was something your head made up, or not. Just don't dismiss it so easily as another one of your hallucinations."

Sakura's own light emerald eyes met hers for a moment, but she couldn't think of the right way to word her feelings. As the traffic light blared, they walked swiftly across the street and continued onto the sidewalk into the suburbs of Leaf City.

- - - -

By the time she got home, her feet felt like they were on fire from the strenuous journey back to the apartment, and the unexpected early summer heat didn't help matters much at all. The girl kicked off her loafers at the door and led her socked feet into the kitchen, where she immediately swung open the freezer door and let out a breath of relief at the whish of abrupt cold air that struck her warm face. Sakura sighed happily and grabbed the nearest popsicle, then she closed the fridge door and padded back into the lounging room. Her mother worked late during the afternoons on weekdays, and by the time she got home it would already be late into the evening. Despite the loneliness Sakura might sometimes feel on occasion when she came back to an empty apartment, it was a welcomed relief on this particular day.

As she sat down into the sleek leather of the large sofa, the cushions feeling cool against the exposed skin of her legs, the young woman's mind finally began to unravel from the past day's events and conversations she had endured. The person she had met on the street that morning had been on her mind all day, cascading strange and unfinished feelings and thoughts that she couldn't entirely translate into common sense through her head. She had tried to explain it to her therapist and somewhat-trusted acquaintance Kakashi – he had listened with a thoughtful presence in the set of surreal and wistful eyes he so commonly adorned with everyone, but there was a sense of ominous consideration in his gaze as Sakura had done her best to describe the person she had briefly interacted with.

Even then her words felt tongue-tied at the challenge of reassessing them, and the memory had still been fresh in her mind. But as she brought the strawberry flavored Popsicle up to her lips, and closed her eyes somewhat experimentally, Sakura tried to imagine the noticeable details that created that person – his wild, spiky blond hair, those undecipherable blue eyes, the way his words felt grainy with a bestial presence ominous in the backdrop of his tone. What was the meaning behind those strange words, which he had spoken to her with an utmost assurance that everything was what it was, even though it had seemed like gibberish to Sakura at the time?

He would always be there to rescue her. What could that possibly mean? Did Sakura know him from perhaps a long time ago? She was certain that she would remember such a person, particularly if he was referring to an accident of some sort that he had somehow protected her from. But as she panned through her memories she could find nothing even remotely resembling such an experience. Besides, the way he had said it made it seem so _personal_, as though he had truly known her throughout her entire life. Sakura had no idea such a devoted aura could exist within a person, nonetheless one centering upon herself.

She sunk into the pillows on the couch's back, finishing the strawberry Popsicle. All of her thoughts felt disorganized, so she thought it best to leave them as they were for now, and hope that they made clearer sense later on. Yawning tiredly, the pink haired girl rested her head against the cushions, allowing her earlier exhaustion to fully wash over her. As she slipped easily into sleep, the face of that stranger lingered blurrily behind her eyelids.

- - - -

The first thought that sprung to Sakura's mind when she opened her eyes, was what that faint scratching noise was that had interrupted her sleep so abruptly. The apartment was beginning to get dark now that the sun had set, and there was a blue hue surrounding the living room that Sakura had to wait for her eyes to adjust to, before getting up to stretch her arms out lightly.

An obscure shadow caught the edge of her eyesight quickly and she turned toward the glass panel leading out onto the patio, wondering if her eyes were just playing tricks on her. Uncertain, she made her way over to the transparent doorway and opened it slightly to peek her head out, breathing in the brisk night air.

There was nothing on the veranda except for a few potted plants, which were waving their leaves slightly in the breeze. Sakura furrowed an eyebrow, and convincing herself that she was imagining things, turned to head back inside, when a gloved hand abruptly shot out from the darkness and covered her mouth, stifling the shocked scream that tore its way out of the girl's throat, while the other arm wrapped itself around her torso in a steel-like grip.

"Don't make a sound, little one." The unseen figure's voice hissed calmly in her ear, breath hot against the side of her face. "We're going on a bit of a journey."

Without any time to react, Sakura's eyes grew wide as the cloaked man lunged himself off the side of the building, his arms still wrapped tightly around her. Her heart leaped into her throat at the abrupt weightlessness of being in the air, likely falling to their deaths on the dark street below, but the man used his momentum in order to propel himself onto another side of the neighboring apartment building.

"Hold on tight." He gruffly stated before letting go of the girl and using his hands to scale toward the roof of the complex. Luckily Sakura did what was asked and quickly wrapped her arms around the person's neck, her fear of plummeting to the ground over-weighing her resentment toward her kidnapper. They reached the building's top swiftly and the cloaked man discarded her nearby, before walking toward the edge on the opposite side and leaning forward to look out across the horizon.

The girl shivered from the night air against her skin, causing her to realize she hadn't changed out of her school uniform yet, and cold roughness of the roof's concrete flooring was harsh against her legs. Hesitantly, she stood up on her socked feet and wrapped her arms around her as she attempted to build up the courage to assert the black figure.

She was saved from doing so when the person in question turned around abruptly to meet her face to face. Sakura could now see that he adorned an unusual white mask, which appeared to have been made from wood. The animalistic features resembled that of a bird, with a slender beak protruding from the center of the face and narrow slits taking the place of eyes, ultimately concealing any emotion that would have been revealed without the exception. Red lines textured the smooth surface around the cheeks and forehead, the added colour almost seeming to glow with surrealism out of the absolute blackness that made up the rest of him.

"It shouldn't be long." He whispered, seemingly to himself - his voice sounded slightly muffled from his place across the roof top. "Just sit still, and be good."

Despite the slight shaking in her legs, Sakura's blood was hot with adrenaline from the very recent near-death occurrence, and she had to urge herself to remain focused and thinking rationally. It was even more difficult to do so when it was evident that this cloaked man was clearly _not _a rational person. Sakura could think of absolutely no explanation for what this person just did – with an amazing amount of ease and dexterity nonetheless, as if he had just popped out of a superhero cartoon. She wondered if this man was insane, or if maybe he was some sort of terrorist in concealment. She doubted that learning the truth about either of these aliases would make her feel any better about the situation.

Then it occurred to her with a startling abruptness. She still had her cell phone in her pocket. Would it be possible to call the police without her kidnapper having realized it? It seemed unlikely, due to the lack of comfortable distance between them that it would take for her to pull it off unnoticed. Furthermore, her voice would still carry enough that she could be heard across the roof top.

But the affirmation of having her cell phone made Sakura slightly more relieved and confident. It was possible there would be a chance where she was left unauthorized and she would need to take that opportunity right away. Still, there was no telling when that opportunity might come, or even what was in store for her next –

Her thoughts didn't have time to fabricate before a shocking flash of blue convulsed across the roof top. Sakura let out a surprised yelp and brought her hands up to shield her eyes, the light startling what was once the dark surroundings and making her vision blur in confusion.

When she brought her hands down and looked around the building's surface, she quickly realized that there was now a third person standing on the roof.

- - - -

_Her feet directed her on their own accord, having walked this same route countless times on her usual trip to the subway station, which took her into a separate section of the city where she attended high school. She hated to work her way through this part of town on early mornings, because the traffic of people was always difficult to maneuver through and she often found herself becoming lost amongst a sea of suited business men and women – all dressed in various shades of black or brown with matching suitcases and ties. _

_Sakura hurried across the street along with the morning crowd, reaching the other end of the cross-walk and continuing to make her way down the road. Her mind was swimming through various thoughts and she wasn't entirely paying attention to where she was going – it was too late to swivel out of the person's direction in front of her and she knocked straight into his chest, her green eyes widening as she looked up into his own, a string of apologies flowing frantically out of her mouth._

_The person, who she quickly realized was a young man who appeared very close to her age, simply smiled down at her – with what she thought was one of the most easy-going and serene expressions she had ever seen on someone so young – and laughed softly at the apologies. _

_Embarrassed but slightly charmed, Sakura went to move past him and continue on down the busy street, but the stranger gripped her wrist in a light hold and prevented her from walking further. Confused, she turned around slightly in order to question him, but the eyes that met hers caught those words in her throat, rendering the pink haired girl tongue-tied and sending her heart thundering strangely against her chest._

_The boy's eyes were radiantly blue against the slight tan of his face. He was dressed in a dark business-esque suit with the undershirt left unbuttoned at the lower base of his collarbone, exposing a slight amount of skin. The outfit seemed to match him, enhancing his unruly blond spikes of hair. _

"_Listen." He said in a light voice, despite the somewhat rough undertones layering his speech. "When you need some rescuing, I'll get there as soon as I can. Don't worry too much, because you know I'll come to save you, right? Just trust in that." His eyes shifted to the side with a contemplative expression. "Believe it or not, I have been with you your entire life, even if you never noticed." He laughed a little, his sunny disposition never seeming to waver. He didn't seem to mind or take accordance of the people passing by them on the sidewalk. Sakura couldn't turn herself away from the blond in order to see if anyone was giving them strange glances. She didn't think she would care too much at this point either. _

_After a moment, his grip on her wrist released and she was given one last warm smile. "Don't forget!" He stated cheerfully. Then he turned and disappeared amongst the crowd, leaving Sakura to contemplate the eccentric person she had just interacted with and the perplexing words he had spoken to her._

- - - -

Her eyes weren't playing tricks on her. There was another person on the rooftop – the _exact_ same person she had bumped into that morning on the street.

He stood at the center of the building, his blond hair sticking out in various directions from the cool breeze sifting across the sky, and his back was turned in her direction. The cloaked figure was standing rigid at a fair distance away from the two of them, but his stance demonstrated that of a predator strung to assault at any given moment. The slits of the bird's eyes seemed to overshadow the placid white of the mask as he faced the late arrival.

"Don't get any ideas." He threatened with a tinge of menace. Sakura began to wonder just how much of her past assumptions were true after hearing the tone in that voice alone. He sounded completely capable of going through with any number of unpleasant threats, and likely had witnessed a little blood on his hands in the past. "Leave now, and I won't be forced to dispose of you."

The blond seemed unmoved by the intimidation. "You don't have to do this." He said lowly, yet unwavering. "She isn't the only one. If you hand her over, there is still no guarantee that we will be left unfazed. All this will be doing is destroying any chance we have left of returning to our home."

"Our chances are worse off without giving her up. Do you really think they won't come after you for trying to save her? I'm doing this for everyone." The masked figure replied with a hallow drone.

"If that's really what you believe," The blond sighed with a slight slump to his shoulders. He appropriated his stance and became immediately solid, seeming to steel himself for whatever onslaught that might take place. "Then try to defeat me."

"Man. You are annoying." The masked man groaned. He craned his neck to the side in a stretching gesture. "I know you mean well Naruto. But this is way over your head. You couldn't stay in the shadows any longer, could you? No - not when it came to your precious Gate Keeper. I admire your devotion, really. But I have a job to do here. And I can't let any personal history get in the way of that."

"I'm not letting any ties between us persuade me either." The blond – no, Naruto – replied evenly. Sakura couldn't see the expression on his face, but she imagined his features were very tense, judging by the familiarity in his voice. It seemed like he didn't want to go through with any conflict against this person who was somehow from his past. "But it's like I said. I can't let you take this girl back to the White Entity and his gang, so you'll have to go through me before you lay a hand on her again."

The masked man nodded once, slow and contemplative. The eyes beneath the bird disguise seemed to sharpen in contrast with the smoothness of the red textures.

"Troublesome…" He breathed, and by the time Sakura realized what was happening, it was too late for her to prevent it. A cascade of shadows flew out across the sky scraper, growing from the soles of the cloaked man's feet, and for a brief second everything seemed to condense into a vast black emptiness.

Panicking, Sakura grabbed out for anything solid she could hold onto. She couldn't hear anything but the rapid pounding of blood against her eardrums, and her eyes moved about frantically in her head with nothing to set their focus.

When she thought she had been swallowed and left alone, her hand reached out and felt the soft fabric of a sleeve. Her fingers curled into it, and soon she felt a set of arms wrap gentle but firmly around her. A strange weight that she wasn't entirely aware of seemed to lift from her shoulders immediately.

"It's okay. I gotcha." Naruto's voice chimed calmly, and the pink haired girl soon found herself staring up into his tanned face and strangely cheerful smile.

The rooftop they had once stood on was now covered in jagged cracks, all appearing to originate from the corner where the cloaked person had once stood, and rippled across the extent of the surface. Sakura and Naruto were positioned on the balcony of the nearby skyscraper, whereas the apposing figure was nowhere in sight from their location. The pink haired girl felt her cheeks become steadily red from the precariousness of her and the blond's close quarters, her uneasiness only worsening when she realized that the latter of the two had no discomfort over the situation at all, or none that was evident at least.

"W – Wh - What are you doing?" She managed to finally stammer in a faint squeak, removing herself from the arms that had been formally holding her and moving backwards a little across the balcony.

Naruto seemed taken aback by her reaction; his face becoming tinged with a little colour as well from what Sakura could easily imagine was embarrassment. "Uh… Rescuing you? You got caught in a shadow hold. I… I had to pull you out of it before you sank any lower into its confines. I didn't want to scare you or anything."

"Scare me? I think you've accomplished at least that already!" She replied frantically. "I don't know who I should be more afraid of at the moment – the man who kidnapped me from my home and flung me onto several apartment buildings, or you, who admitted to having followed me around since the day I was born, _stalking _me without me even understanding why or how in the first place!"

The girl seemed overpowered by a fit of convulsive gasps, causing her to stop speaking suddenly and she bent over with her hands on her knees, taking a few large gulps of cold night air. After a moment of regaining her composure, she righted herself again, light perspiration layering her cheeks and forehead.

"Feel any better?" Naruto asked hopefully.

Sakura nodded faintly, her breath evening out from the previous panic attack.

"Good. Because we're not quite out of the woods yet, and I see our company is catching up to us, so hold on tight." The blond approached her quickly with his blue eyes sharply scouting the dark horizon, and swiftly brought her into his arms for a second time, before jumping the platform's railing with easy dexterity and descending onto a nearby building's next balcony several feet across.

Keeping her arms wrapped tightly around the boy's neck and trying desperately not to let out any shrill screams, Sakura watched wide-eyed over the blond's shoulder as the two of them practically floated through the air, gaining momentum from the rooftops and railings of different balconies layering the top of the city. She never thought she could experience such weightlessness before – the feeling was entirely natural and yet her rational mind told her that it was altogether much too fantastical and extraordinary to be possible – and here she was, gripping her arms tight around a boy she barely knew. As the moments raced by, Sakura began to desperately hope that this wasn't a wildly imaginative dream she was witnessing after all.

After what felt like only a few minutes of steadily making their way across the buildings, the two came to an abrupt and clumsy stop just as Naruto brought his foot down onto the next roof. A black hand-like substance sprung out from the shadowed depths of the ground and clenched with a sudden density around his heel, sending the pair sprawling unceremoniously into the hard compact surface. Sakura was able to roll onto her side and settle herself on her knees, catching sight of Naruto's stretched figure nearby and managing to make her way toward him.

The shadow had coiled relentlessly around the blond's lower torso and was snaking its way around his arms, successfully holding him into place and preventing any struggle or wriggling from passing through the energetic matter.

Naruto was clearly infuriated by the trap and looked more bestial than ever, but despite his struggling he was unable to release himself.

The cloaked man landed soundlessly onto the rooftop and watched with the pallid face of the bird mask, then without speaking walked swiftly toward the pink haired girl as she hovered feebly by the captured youth's side, reaching a gloved hand out to grasp at her before a shrill, high-pitched quavering sound cut through the atmosphere like a knife. Sakura brought her hands up and pressed them firmly against her ears, her face contorting in shock at the harshness of the noise, possessing a static-like essence and the electrical surge running through her veins at the result made her momentarily wonder if she had lost all natural hearing and coherent thought entirely.

But that didn't seem to be the case, as the masked figure had the same reaction and brought his own hands to the side of his head in startling pain. The wispy shadows clenching against Naruto's limbs shriveled upon the loss of concentration on their creator's part, and descended back into the ground where they sprouted, and the cloaked man staggered backwards a few steps across the roof.

It was after several seconds Sakura realized that the chirping had subsided, and the electrical silver torrent engulfing the air had ceased. When she hesitantly lowered her hands and cracked open her emerald eyes, she was stunned and vastly relieved to see that Naruto was already on his feet, and contained a strange, pulsating orb of blue light in the center of his clenched hands. Without warning, he released the energy at lightning speed toward the still recovering figure of the masked man, resulting in an overwhelming explosion of light and dust that cascaded over the entire platform in a rippling gust of smoke.

When the misty air subsided there was no sign of the masked man, the crumbling remains of the building serving as the only evidence the assault had even taken place.

"We should leave."

Shaking and stricken with disbelief, Sakura allowed herself to be picked up by Naruto, and taken flying once again across the rooftops.

The city rushed by them in a blur. She couldn't separate the incredulity of what had just taken place from the reality of what she had once believed – her thoughts were pleasantly blank for a change. Instead she focused on the smell of the night air, the soothing gentleness of the wind rushing past her face, the sound of Naruto's heartbeat against her ear.

There was a point when Sakura realized her eyelids were beginning to droop, concentrating on all these sensations, but she couldn't recall exactly when that was. Her mind began to feel more muddled and dulled by the sudden wave of exhaustion that had immediately washed over her at that moment.

As more skyscrapers sifted past her vision, the girl began to ask the question before she had really contemplated it, her words sounding just as tired as she felt.

"Really, who _are_ you?"

A laugh bubbled up in the blond's chest, the feeling of it oddly pleasant in her drifting mind.

"Honestly?" He asked, the smile he was wearing clearly evident in his light voice.

"I'm your guardian angel."

**To Be Continued…**


	2. Chapter Two: Sasuke of the Black Wings

**Chapter 2: Sasuke of the Black Wings**

Sakura's eyelids flew open so quickly her vision spun. Images and fantastical memories bewildered her thoughts as she blinked the world into focus, trying to see through the sleep filled haze clouding her sight and not sure what to be expecting, a feeling of disarray and confusion tickling through her limbs. But when she could finally see what was in front of her Sakura found herself surprised to be staring up at her own bedroom ceiling.

She was certainly back in her apartment, and lying on top of the plush covers of her bed in her brightly colored room. The girl eased herself up slowly until she was sitting comfortably, her bare legs swinging to dangle over the bed's edge. Her bright green eyes traced over herself in a sluggish, indolent fashion, realizing without concern that she was still dressed in her school uniform from the previous day.

As Sakura sat there in the same position for a long moment, the memories began rapidly flooding back into her working conscience, almost startling her with the ferocity of its impact. Last night she had been kidnapped by a strange, unknown masked person who defiantly scaled the side of her apartment building without any means of which to do so except his bare hands. He took her up to the roof, and he was going to do _something _to her, but he never got the chance. He never got the chance because that boy – that astonishing, nonsensical boy with wild blond hair and unworldly blue eyes, had appeared out of nowhere and come to her rescue, just as he said he would on the day they had first met.

What had been his name?

"Naruto…" The girl breathed out in a single outtake of air that seemed to fill the entire room with the extent of its substance.

Naruto – that was what the cloaked man had called him when the two had spoken to each other. It was an unusual name, but it seemed to match the spirited youth well. He was certainly one of the most transcendental people Sakura had come across at a young age, with an exuberant smile and a lively, avid presence that was contagious in the midst of all that had happened between the present time and the moment he had stepped foot onto that rooftop.

There was so much mystery surrounding him; his unbelievable compensation of gravity itself and the surreal blue energy that he mustered up from the air alone was enough reason to question the blond teen's true origin, whether it was from earth or some other place beyond the stars.

But could Sakura trust that it hadn't just been some amazing, wild dream? Would anyone believe her if she made focal her extraordinary experience of roof-jumping through the city with an attractive young man while being chased by a mad, shadow enforcing and deadly rapscallion who just happened to adorn a long black cloak and white subtly-decorated bird's mask?

It was true that Sakura had had mental troubles in the past. When she was younger she had very worrisome hallucinations that fueled emotional outbursts at unusual times. Often, it would be visual images such as a small flickering light moving about in a dark room, or a wild and exotic animal such as a lion walking down the street, unnoticed amongst the people. Other times it would be a physical feeling, like an insect crawling along her skin. She would become nonsensical and unhinged, and at the worst try to find ways of hurting herself and others. Eventually it became too much for her parents to deny, and tearfully she was brought in to see psychiatric help. It had been nearly seven years since she had her last hallucination.

Sakura didn't know whether she should trust her own instincts on what had really happened last night – everything had felt so _real _to her that it was insensible, even unfair to assume that it had all just been inside her head. No, the pink haired girl thought with a firm shake of the head. It couldn't have been a dream. She couldn't make herself believe that it was, despite what others may say if she imposed that perspective indubitably.

She raised herself from the bed with a new determination and from glancing at her bedside clock and judging by the willowy light spewing through her cracked window that it was almost time for her to head off to school, the girl paced across the room and opened her bedroom door, continuing down the narrow hallway until she reached the bathroom. There she unclothed and stepped gingerly into the bathtub, turning the faucets to full pressurization and turning the showerhead on, standing upright with her face becoming sprinkled and washed thoroughly by the refreshing water.

Once Sakura felt clean and had finished soaping up her hair a little, she dried herself off and returned to her room in search of fresh clothing. She was just finishing adjusting her appearance in the full length mirror beside her dresser that the girl's eyes caught a slight movement near the windowsill, barely noticeable except for the ruffling that accompanied the same location. Feeling cautious of the turn of events that had unfolded by a very similar predicament the previous night, Sakura turned from her reflection and took several steps toward the sun-soaked patch of floor underneath the sill, noticing with a small raise of her eyebrows that a soft black feather perched idly in that place.

Bending down to pick it up, the teen studied it in her palms with scrutinizing eyes. It was sleek, and had faint hoops of blue-gray encircling it's black exterior. Strangely enough it resembled a hawk's feather of some kind, and Sakura would have wondered if it was if not for it's unusually large size.

The girl decided to take a chance and walked over to the sill, resting her hands against it with the feather still in her grasp as she peered out across the city street. Her ears were met with the sound of engines and people beneath her window, but there was no trace of the bird that had left the feather or the noise of wings flapping anywhere near.

Sighing faintly with disappointment, Sakura eased back into her room and turned to look at her reflection in the mirror again. She contemplated for a moment, then making the decision on a whim she grabbed her school bag from its hanger and carefully placed the long feather into one of the compartments on its side, careful to not squish or tussle up the plumage. She slung the bag over her shoulder and with a nod of assurance she walked out into the dining room, where her mother was already up and having her last sips of coffee before work.

- - - -

"Sakura, did you hear me?"

The girl in question started at the sound of her friend's inquiring, her mind previously caught up in a wistfully infused daydream. She turned to face Ino, who sat directly behind her in fashion of the single filed desks rowed across the spacious classroom. "Oh – no Ino, sorry I didn't catch that." Sakura said with an apologetic smile, noticing the very evident annoyance tracing the blonde girl's face.

Ino huffed indignantly and rolled her eyes, though the long bangs dangling from the confines of her ponytail obscured the action subtly. "I said, are you coming out with Tenten and me after school today?"

"Oh," Sakura hummed lightly, her expression uncertain. "I don't know. I think I'm just going to head home after school. I didn't get much sleep last night."

The girl across from her frowned and let out a grumble of exasperation. "Come _on _Sakura! It feels like it's been forever since we've all done something fun together. Besides, I think Tenten will be tagging her friend Lee along – you know that cute guy on the track team? I think he has a thing for you." She implied with a devious raise of an eyebrow.

Sakura sighed feigningly. "Yeah, I think I caught that the last time he pronounced his undying love for me during PE last Tuesday."

"Well, he's not a bad catch – although he isn't my type, personally. I like the more rugged look." Ino trailed off, crossing her arms against her chest.

"Look, I'm not trying to avoid either of you." Sakura said squarely as she gripped her fingers around the back of the desk's seat. "I just had a very… _unusual _night and I'm not feeling up for going out." She half whispered with a bit of cautiousness toward the other students around them, although they all seemed to be chatting amiably and weren't paying much attention to the two girl's conversation.

"Ooh really?" Ino's eyes widened at the information her friend had just nervously leaked, a trademark surreptitious expression resting comfortably upon her face as she leaned in a bit closer, resting her arms on the desk so she could place her chin in her palm. "Unusual in what way?"

Sakura copied the motion and leaned in a little herself, in order to make it easier to hear between the two of them. "You're never going to believe this, but I met him again."

Ino looked at her, surprised. "What, the blond guy from yesterday? The one you met on the street?"

The pink haired girl nodded. "He appeared out of nowhere. It was like the first time I saw him, only I… I was in trouble – this other guy was getting in my way, and then he just came out of the blue and got rid of him for me." Sakura hastily finished summing up the tale of Naruto's heroics, at least partially telling the truth of the previous night's events.

Still, Ino seemed impressed by the story of chivalry. "Wow, I had no idea! So this guy must have really been taking that _protector _thing seriously. I guess he was telling the truth after all. But that's still pretty strange – I mean, how did he know you were in need of help if he hadn't just been following you around this entire time? I have to say Sakura, I know that you come across some strange things and that you're… how should I put it… _eccentric –" _

"Thank you, _Ino." _Sakura said exasperatedly.

"- but this sounds like a undeniable case of stalking. Creepy, watching you in your sleep, collecting stray hairs from your hairbrush stalking. And I think you should tell someone about it."

Sakura looked into the girl's pale aqua eyes and despite seeing true concern, still wasn't convinced with her logic. "But it just doesn't make sense; he has to be close to my age and there is no way that he could have been watching me when I was a little kid without me noticing, and I know I have never seen him before in my life!"

The blond girl fixed on her determinedly. "Sakura, you know that people can say things that aren't actually true… maybe he really does think that you two have been together since childhood. Maybe yesterday morning was the first time he had ever actually seen you."

"But if he is just here to stalk me, then why hasn't he done anything more drastic since I have spoken to him? Why did he protect me when I was in danger?" Sakura's tone had become stronger now, beginning to carry out further across the crowded room in her restlessness. "Why did he risk his own life in order to save mine, when he could have just minded his own business? What makes me so important that he feels like he owes me that much, that I mean more to him than his own well-being?" Her voice had risen by now and she felt tense, staring at her friend with a mix of uncertainty, frustration and anger bottled into one.

Ino watched her, lacking the usual mischievousness she often adorned in the place of a serious and somewhat worried expression. "I don't know, Sakura. People don't always make sense to everyone else." She said softly.

It was at that moment the final bell rang, motioning for everyone to leave the classroom. Chairs scraped against the flooring as the students gathered their things and left, some watching Sakura from the corner of their eye while others continued on with their conversations, oblivious of the slight outburst that had just been witnessed.

Sakura got up from her seat and gathered her things as well, slinging her bag over her shoulder and ignoring several sets of eyes curiously watching her as she headed out of the room and into the brightly lit and busy hallway of students who were swinging open their lockers and preparing to leave for the weekend. She didn't look to see if Ino was following her or not, but when she walked out the front doors into the main entrance of the complex the girl turned around with a soft smile on her lips to find her friend coming up to meet her.

"I'm sorry." Ino said with amazingly much less resentment than Sakura had imagined would coat her apologies in the past; maybe she was becoming gradually more mature. "I know that you're right about this whole thing. I know that you have been down about it too, so let's just go out tonight and have some fun, forget about our troubles! Come on, will you?" She asked, sounding completely genuine.

Although a faint sigh escaped her lips, the pink haired girl couldn't help but smile wider and she nodded her head once. "I think that's a really good idea. Let's go out and have fun, I just want to forget that this whole thing happened for a while and feel normal again."

"Great!" Ino cheered happily, and Sakura laughed as the two headed down the street and away from the high school building.

- - - -

As the loud music flooded through the comfortable sized karaoke room, Sakura couldn't help but get caught up in the silliness and overall giddy atmosphere as both her and Tenten sang out the lyrics of "Stop Your Sobbing" by the Pretenders while Ino and Lee sat nearby cheering them on, as people came in to watch or wandered off to pop in on the other singers. The song's bouncy and upbeat lyrics and tune was cause enough for a little dancing between the two girls, often interrupted by bouts of laughter and giggling as they sang into the microphones.

"Me next!" Ino called out once the song came to a close and she hopped up to the front of the room eagerly. The girls exchanged microphones and Sakura took her place on the couch in the now fairly crowded room.

The group laughed as the singing started up again, but quickly transcended into cheering and clapping as Ino showed off their vocal cords with Ladytron blaring in the background. Sakura sat back a little further in the couch, feeling lighthearted. She knew that she couldn't completely forget what had happened that night, and she didn't want to, but it was nice to get away from those daunting thoughts for the moment.

"Everything you touch, you don't feel.  
Do not know what you steal.  
Shakes your hand,  
Takes your gun,  
Walks you out of the sun."

Once countless songs had been sung, and Lee had blown the entire crowd away with a passionate performance from one of Journey's soundtracks, the group realized that it was getting late and decided to head out of the Karaoke bar. The teens made their way down the colourful street, signs flashing lucidly their advertisements and lighting up the dark buildings and corners in the busy sector of Leaf City with a reddish aura.

"So Sakura, tell us about this mystery guy of yours." Tenten urged the pink haired girl with curious auburn eyes as they continued down the street into the residence district.

"_What's this! _Sakura, you have a secret shady boyfriend I haven't heard about?" Lee gasped in genuine surprise, looking as if he had just been drenched by a bucket of cold water.

"H – How did you hear about that?" Sakura asked shakily, taken aback by the brunette's extent of information on the ordeal. "Anyway, I'm sure whatever Ino told you is not the complete truth. He really isn't my boyfriend at all."

Ino feigned a hurt expression. "I didn't say anything to her! Word spreads fast and I guess someone overheard our little conversation earlier today."

Tenten nodded. "She's right, it was just a rumor going around and I happened to hear about it – it does make me worried for you Sakura. Who is the guy anyway?"

"He's a criminal! He shouldn't be trusted! And Sakura should definitely not be walking around with him all by herself when he could do nasty things to her!" The fire in Lee's eyes was entirely convincing as he brought his fists up in his trademark fashion of making an epic and gallant statement.

"I really don't know anything about him, but I can tell you right now that he isn't a criminal. Besides, who knows if I'll ever see him again at this point?" Sakura said, dismissing the idea and continuing down the sidewalk.

"Well, I hope you don't see him again. Men like that can really get on your nerves, especially when they try saving you all the time." Tenten added looking pointedly at Lee, who knew the brunette's disciplinary tactics all too well and lowered his fists quickly.

Ino hummed in disagreement. "I don't know, personally I think it's kind of romantic. I mean sure she could do without the stalking thing, but I like the idea of having a cute guy come to my rescue whenever I need it." She said, winking deviously.

Sakura smiled despite herself but still had to shake her head at the comment. "I think it's a little more complicated than that."

The four of them had just come up to a cross walk when a crackling explosion rumbled through the air. Sakura looked around the street in shock, eyes wide from the strange sound that resembled giant rocks impacting with pavement not far away from them. Focusing in the distance she could clearly make out a patch of smoke billowing out across the ground, the debris from the shambled building filling up the road and skewering anything underneath it from sight.

People on the street yelled out startled, the majority of them remaining in place by confusion and surprise. Sakura felt Lee's hand on her shoulder from behind her in reassurance as people slowly came back to their senses and several of them approached the wreckage in order to see if anyone was hurt.

"What… what happened?" A voice, she thought it was Tenten, from behind her asked tentatively although it was hard to hear over the buzzing of people surrounding her.

"I don't know, I heard a weird sound - it was like a chirping noise – before…" Ino trailed off quietly, seeming unable to finish her sentence.

Suddenly, Sakura caught a brief flash of silver light stirring within the haze, just for a quick moment before a second eruption cascaded through the area sending impenetrable gray fumes through the webs of streets surrounding the crumbling complex. Everyone brought their hands up to cover their face and protect their eyes from the dust until the smoke thinned, and Sakura squinted her emerald eyes open just in time to see a dark figure burst through the mist and propel into the sky, black limbs spread out in the imitation of a bird and stretching inhumanely in their resemblance until becoming out of focus in the density of blackness overhead.

She didn't have time to comprehend what she had just seen before the smoke cleared and her senses were filled with the sound of panicked voices and the sight of boundless people moving about, talking, trying to find each other, coming and going. It wasn't until then that Sakura realized the feel of Lee's hand wasn't there, and quickly turning around she found not him, Ino or Tenten anywhere nearby.

Yelling out their names the girl's voice was swallowed in the midst of everyone elses. She looked back once more at the cause of the havoc and now that she could see clearly was taken aback that in the center of the cracked earth, where it looked like an earthquake had pummeled the entire road and had knocked several parked cars over sending their horns screaming into the dark, that there was a young girl standing alone, her body facing Sakura although her eyes were hidden behind a curtain of deeply black, nearly purple hair that hung down past her shoulders.

Not certain whether she was hurt, or was too strongly in a state of shock to move, Sakura stepped toward her nervously, moving past the rushing crowd until she was nearly ten feet away from the girl. Getting closer Sakura realized that she wore a high school uniform, although it was different in fashion to her own and meant that she went to one of the other schools in the city, and that she looked similar in age to her, if not a bit younger judging by the frailness of her frame.

"Are you hurt?" Sakura tried a bit carefully, uncertain about the situation.

The dark haired girl's head shot up so quickly at her words that Sakura nearly stumbled backward in surprise. A pair of faint, ghostly pale violet eyes stared back at her with intense wonder, and something she could only place as worrisome etched into soft crinkles of her eyebrows.

"Y – You're another one, right?" The girl asked meekly, her voice so soft that the pink haired girl had to strain to hear everything that was said.

Sakura's brow furrowed, confused by the words. "Another one?" She repeated. "What do you mean? You should get out of here right away, it's not safe to be standing here."

In response the dark haired girl simply looked down at her shoes in a shy manner, her hands brought up to level with her chest as her two index fingers poked at each other feebly.

Undeterred, Sakura stepped closer to the girl and wrapped her fingers firmly around a thin arm, motioning for her to follow as the two of them stepped out of the giant hole of cracked cement, one somewhat dragging the other toward a safe distance.

But the girls didn't get far, because at the moment Sakura had gotten just a few feet before a bestial growl emitted from over her head and soon she was met face to face with a colossal, two headed white wolf, its breath ragged and steaming against her skin and its massive set of jaws barred and gleaming with white teeth. She would have screamed if she had the opportunity, but the animal immediately seized the pink haired teen with one of its two gaping mouths and effectively trapped her torso in its confines before taking off up the side of a nearby building and quickly ascending it with swift and strong legs, reaching the top with ease and continuing along across the rooftops.

Sakura had closed her eyes as her stomach lurched with every rushing movement the wolf made, her mind swiveling as she sank her fingers deeply into the fur on the side of its jaw, praying endlessly that the animal wouldn't decide to just clench its teeth together and end her life at that instant.

Gradually the sound of sirens below urged the girl to look down upon the broken sector of city. The animal seemed to be searching for something from atop the platform, but didn't wish to be noticed by wandering eyes which was a precaution Sakura could understand entirely well enough.

Crackling electricity hurtled through the darkness at the creature's side, colliding into its ribs and sizzling painfully, scorching thick skin and filling the air with the burnt stench. Crying out, the wolf bent his free head up quickly in the direction of the attack. Holding on for dear life, Sakura saw in the sky the same winged figure that had burst out of the mist earlier, now hurtling toward both her and the animal with such fearless intrepidity that she thought it would barrel directly into them – but at the last seconds before impact, in which the girl realized that it was a _boy _flying through the sky, that he swerved precariously and dodged them by mere inches, bolting right over their heads.

The wolf's two sets of red eyes followed, a throaty growl emitting from its depths before it leaped breathtakingly from the edge of the rooftop and descended to the ground beneath. This time Sakura shrieked involuntarily as the air gusted past them, her hair whipping past her face as they plummeted onto the lit up road. It landed easily on its paws, making barely any impact or sound on the pavement and sprinted with extensive agility over the incalculable cars lined in tight traffic, lights flashing past in a blur as the wolf sped over the vehicles, not stepping on a single one despite unhinging a few overhanging advertisements with its massive body not entirely fitting in the narrow space between the buildings.

Crying out at the rush of movement and feeling entirely uncomfortable in her position, Sakura watched helplessly as the cars flew past her beneath the mammoth sized paws, horns and voices muddled up as faces peered from their windows in a stupor at the sight above them. She forced her gaze up when the winged boy descended into the street directly in front of the creature, paralleling himself with the center point of the buildings to prevent being hit by the cascading traffic. He flew just out of reach of the immense animal, black wings outstretched and flickering in the wind like a natural entity. Sakura could barely believe what she was seeing.

The two of them gave chase, playing a game of cat and mouse – taking dizzying twists and turns among the streets as the wolf attempted to gain the high ground on the flying black figure. It hardly took any time before it became evident that the bird-personage was wavering with fatigue and that the wolf was gaining the incentive, its lithe and steadfast frame better suited for the hunt.

Seeming to notice his yielding stamina, the winged boy deflected from the road abruptly and shot up into the sky with a powerful beat of the feathered limbs, disappearing from view of both her and her captor.

Hot breath snarled from the white beast's nose as he maneuvered to the top of the buildings, landing fervently upon the roof nearest to where its opposition vanished and searched the black surroundings with sharp eyes.

"Kiba." A familiar voice ringed out gently from behind.

The animal turned pointedly at the name. Sakura startled at the sight of the same dark haired girl she had tried to help just moments ago. She stood with a boy next to her, who was dressed entirely with the intention of covering himself up, with a black collared shirt reaching up past his mouth and a large, baggy gray coat with the hood drawn over his head obscured any expression that would have been evident upon his features. Furthermore, Sakura noticed that he wore a pair of dark shades, something that puzzled her due to the blackness of Leaf city's nights.

"P – Please Kiba. Just drop her." The dark haired girl pleaded, her fingers playing with themselves in the same fashion they had been previously.

The wolf sighed deeply and Sakura found herself discarded none-too-pleasantly onto the hard surface of the roof, landing painfully on her knees and scraping their surfaces from the impact. Fortunately she couldn't entirely place the burning in her legs from the numbness that racked her body after the heart-stopping race through Leaf City she had just endured, and sat unmoving where she was.

"What a let down." A gritted tone complained tiredly. "That bastard really scorched my side. I should've been able to at least return the favor."

Confused, Sakura turned around to look at the wolf again – but there was no longer a growling, panting colossus towering over her – in its place stood a brown haired, shaggy looking teen with perceptive features and keen eyes, sharp red markings adorning the tanned skin of his cheeks. He dressed entirely in black with his coat left unzipped, exposing a netted undershirt that hugged the nimble and lightly toned chest underneath. There was certainly an area just below his ribcage that looked partially burnt, but the damage wasn't too severe for a cause of worry.

On his shoulder a small white puppy clutched itself comfortably, looking entirely at home with the youth as it sniffed the air in a gentle manner between Sakura and him.

The pink haired girl let out a cry of dismay and turned back to the other two teens standing on the other side of her. "What – what is going _on _here!" She bellowed while bringing her hands up to tangle frustratingly in the strands of her hair.

"Hey! Settle down now. There would be no point in any of my effort if you managed to get yourself hurt, right?" The brunette chided dryly at Sakura's little outburst.

"Then maybe you shouldn't have dropped her on the ground so carelessly." The hooded teen said in a smooth manner, referring to the cuts that now seeped freely from the girl's knees.

The other boy scoffed at the remark, shooting him an annoyed look. "If you _want _to be the one responsible for gathering up all these Gate Keepers, be my guest. I could use without the aftertaste."

While the two quarreled with each other, the dark haired girl approached Sakura and got down onto her knees beside her, causing the other teen to watch her apprehensively. She gingerly brought her small hands over the wounds, her touch soothing and transcending comfort throughout her body in a single sweep. The girl closed her eyes for a moment, brow furrowing in concentration. Sakura felt an instant attachment to her, and seemed to understand the proximities of the action between them. Then when she opened her violet eyes, removed her hands from the once seeping wounds that had garnished her knees and in her amazement found that the skin was unmarked, seeming to have closed in over the scrapes on its own.

Sakura gaped at the shyly smiling girl next to her. "How… did you…?" She began, but her tongue got tied in the process of wording her thoughts and ended up repeating herself helplessly.

The fair skinned girl simply continued to smile at her. "I didn't. You did."

This didn't help ease her bafflement and she looked down at her knees again in stilled awe. "But… I don't understand! Not any of this! How could I have possibly…"

"You have been able to heal yourself from any harm since the day you were born. I just helped you a bit with the process." The other girl offered in a meek and genuine manner. She seemed to understand Sakura's confusion and bewilderment over the situation.

"We should properly introduce ourselves. My name is Shino Aburame." The boy with the shades spoke from his place on the rooftop, his arms crossed comfortably against his chest.

"Kiba Inuzuka." The brunette added. "And this little guy is Akamaru." He motioned to the canine creature resting on his shoulder, who barked an enthusiastic greeting in return.

"I'm Hinata Hyuga." The violet eyed girl smiled as she rose to her feet, and offered a hand to the teen sitting motionlessly on the ground, who took it thankfully and gradually she pulled herself up onto shaking legs. "And you're Sakura Haruno."

"Yes." Sakura said feebly. "How do you know my name?"

"We know the identities of every Gate Keeper in this city." Shino evenly explained. "We came looking for you – and your guardians – in order to confirm an alliance, so to speak. Unfortunately it had to be sudden, Orochimaru's dogs are already on the loose and there is no way we can prevent them from sniffing you out if there isn't anyone watching over you."

"Wow, and I thought it was just the bug analogies." Kiba whistled in feigned impressiveness.

Sakura's mind swiveled, trying to take in all that had been said. "Wait, so there is a group of people after me?" Her thoughts wandered to the cloaked figure that had stolen her from her apartment patio the previous night, remembering that the name White Entity had been spoken of. "I don't understand why they would want to kidnap me. What makes me worth the trouble of going through that?"

"There are feuds between Gate Keepers that can run centuries deep. It could be for any number of reasons, although your unusual healing abilities are likely near the top of the list." The hooded boy commented in a monotonous fashion that appeared to be the normal speaking range he offered, as none of his companions were thrown off by it.

"But what are Gate Keepers and guardians? I'm just a regular girl. It doesn't make sense." Sakura mumbled partially to herself, feeling a little more than overwhelmed by the new information and worried that she might simply faint from exhaustion and the nervous shaking wracking her body.

Hinata placed a soft hand on her shoulder. "You are a Gate Keeper, Sakura. I am one myself – both Shino and Kiba are my guardians. We are a small society that have existed since the beginning of earth. Our guardians are the spirits of restless souls who have been drawn to us. It takes time to fully understand, but once the three of you are united, you can't let the bond break under any circumstances. Do you understand Sakura?" She finished softly, her voice soothing and kind against the girl's ears.

She wanted to shake her head frantically. It was unbelievable – the mysterious blond boy who went by the name of Naruto that had saved her from that cloaked man, the horrifying two-headed wolf that had turned out to be a teenager and his canine companion, and the black winged human who transcended through the sky above her head - all of it was just too much to comprehend. Sakura suddenly found herself hoping that none of it had been real after all, wishing that she could turn back the clock to when all that concerned her was irrelevant and that she had never even bumped into that enthralling blue eyed youth on the street yesterday morning.

"No. I don't get any of it. I don't think I want to either." She admitted at last, her voice sounding nearly as drained as she felt.

Kiba sighed, shrugging faintly at the response. "Naruto and that bird-brain really have their hands full with this one."

Sakura looked up at Kiba with wide green eyes. "You… know Naruto?"

"Unfortunately, yeah. We go back a ways." The brunette offered nonchalantly.

"And that winged person you were chasing… why were you fighting him?" she asked, suddenly remembering the cause for all of the havoc that had taken place on the street.

Kiba brought his hands up defensively at the statement. "Hey, I'm not the one that started that little argument! I was just wandering through the district because I picked up the scent of a Gate Keeper nearby."

"Trust isn't exactly in abundance lately." Shino uttered. "Although Sakuke was being careless, I can't say I blame him for being suspicious of Kiba. There have been circumstances where we thought we could trust the other simply because they adorned a friendly face."

The pink haired girl thought contemplatively. "Then how will I separate those who I can trust from the ones I can't?"

"For a start, you know that we aren't followers of the White Entity." Kiba said reassuringly. "We'll be around in case you get into a tight spot and can't handle it yourselves."

Hinata nodded at the statement, strength in her posture and expression that caught Sakura off guard, she thought it suited her well in contrast to the stammering and frail-looking girl she had first come across in the wreckage. "He's right, we will be close by. Don't lose faith in yourself Sakura." The small smile growing on her lips seemed almost contagious to the other girl, and she returned the smile with her own.

"Thank you, Hinata. I'll try not to."

"We shouldn't be standing around in one place for long. We'll take you to a safe location." The hooded boy stepped forward and surveyed the area surrounding them cautiously.

"All right, Akamaru?" Kiba addressed the small white animal on his shoulder. The pup barked happily in reply and hopped off his perch, landing tenderly on the ground. A soft, nebulous cloud engulfed the tiny canine and emanated quickly, once it had cleared an unusually large white dog stood in his place, tail wagging rapidly from side to side.

Hinata approached the dog and climbed easily onto his back, sitting comfortably near the shoulders. She smiled down at Sakura and offered her a hand. "Ready to go?"

Feeling shaken still, Sakura attempted to fight back her insecurity and gave a firm nod as she took her hand and swung up onto the giant beast, straddling him with her legs and wrapping her arms sufficiently around Hinata's mid section as to not fall off while moving.

"Okay, hold on tight!"

With one strong kick off the platform Akamaru lunged off the complex and bounded fluently across the sky scrapers, Kiba and Shino on opposite ends of the canine and keeping up a swift pace. This time Sakura felt safe enough to gaze down at the buildings and streets below, vivid lights flashing past at devastating speed.

They hadn't been running long before a quick, vibrating creature zoomed past the pink haired girl's face, causing her to lean back in surprise. Hinata gripped the white fur of Akamaru's neck and traced the flying object with a speculative look in her eyes, her fair features crinkled with suspicion.

"What was that?" Sakura asked, her voice somewhat muffled by the air lashing past them at such a fast speed.

Hinata shook her head. "A spy of the White Entity. He is at least two kilometers away from us." She motioned to both Kiba and Shino, who nodded at the action and picked up the pace along with Akamaru. Sakura yelped in surprise and readjusted herself on the dog's back, grasping more firmly to the dark haired girl.

The five of them didn't notice the flickering white objects launching towards them until there was barely enough time to avoid them. A barrage of numerous explosions rained around the two girls and the dog beast, severing the group in thick smog and propelling Akamaru to narrowly avoid colliding with any detonations. Sakura lost her grasp in the sudden commotion and lurched alarmingly, and loosing her position was thrown completely off the animal.

Frantic ringing and the violent gust of air filled her ears. A splitting scream protruded all around her, although Sakura couldn't place the fact that it was her own voice she was hearing. The cold wind stabbed at her skin jaggedly. A blur of images flooded past her eyelids, shockingly white and colourful. Was this how she was going to die? The thought buzzed in her mind.

And then she felt arms underneath her. Hesitant, Sakura eased her eyes open, only to be met with the pallid face of a male youth, his stunning black eyes and statuesque features mesmerizing the girl into quiet shock. His dark feathers ruffled softly against the current as the raven haired boy glided through the air in refined silence. He was adorned in tattered black clothing – his jacket billowed out behind him as the breeze whipped past.

The blue-hued textured wings flapped powerfully against his body until the two were at a safe range away from the assault. Sakura was eased down onto the pavement of a deserted sidewalk, her legs feeling boneless and shaking uncontrollably as she looked back at the winged youth.

Somehow she managed to find her voice. Shakily, she finally managed to conjure up a few hesitant words. "Your… your name is Sasuke, isn't it?"

His black eyes searched her face for a brief moment, scrutinizing within their dark depths before he nodded once and spoke with a level tone, his words flowing smoothly and without effort.

"Yes. I am your guardian, Sakura Haruno."

- - - -

Once she had brought her feet back down upon the sidewalk and been reunited with her frantically searching friends, Sakura felt as though she was having an out of body experience. She went through the motions that would be expected of her usual self, coming up with the excuse that she got lost in the smoke and confusion of the situation, which seemed to satisfy the curiosity of their inquiries.

By the time she got home, it was late in the night and the pink haired youth was met with the familiar silence of the apartment. She tip toed through the living room and down the hallway until she reached her bedroom door, cautiously turning the handle and stepping inside, where she quickly changed out of her clothing and garnered some comfortable sleepwear. Sakura plopped down onto her bed, her limbs felt like lead from the emotional and physical experience she had endured not long ago.

Her eyelids were fighting to sink down over the emerald gaze staring unfocused at the ceiling, but just before she drifted off to sleep the girl came to a sudden realization and jumped off the bed, padding barefoot over to her school bag. She opened one of the side compartments and to her relief found that the black feather was still in its place. Smiling to herself, Sakura pinched the end with her index finger and thumb, bringing it out carefully and walking back across the extent of the room to where her bed was pushed up against the wall, close to the window so that she could feel the night air on her skin.

She lied back down on the bed and looked through the moonlit darkness to the feather cradled protectively in her hands, sensing two pairs of watchful eyes over her as she finally aloud herself to fall into the dense obscurity of sleep.

**To Be Continued…**


End file.
